Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will move on. I think we will go into a second round but I want to ask a few questions before we do. There are lots of conversations there and from my contribution I would rather focus on recommendation No. 17. When we look at the caveats relating to the citizens' assembly and what it laid out, it is really about understanding the assembly's idea of what decriminalisation actually is and whether justice has a role in decriminalisation. If drug use is decriminalised, justice does not have a role at all. Even if we are looking at that administrative piece, because the block seems to be that we cannot do administrative sentences, why are we saying we are looking for administrative offences in terms of completely removing possession with regard to any sort of diversion, because not everyone needs a diversion? There are plenty of people who are within the walls of power here who use drugs and who will never need a diversion. It would take a huge amount of resources and money if we were to assume every single person who is stopped and has a substance in their pocket needs to be sent for supports and help. Obviously, addiction affects a minority of people who use drugs. This minority of people is where the rest of the recommendations come in, for me, with regard to social determinants such as poverty, trauma and all of those so that people do not use drugs in a way that is chaotic and is accumulative across whole communities.

I would like to understand from Mr. Reid what he and the witnesses understand decriminalisation to be and what they feel the assembly members understood decriminalisation to be? Forgetting for a moment the idea there may be some questions around constitutionality or Garda powers around stop and search, what does true decriminalisation look like because prohibition has not worked? That is the evidence. Also, decriminalisation of the user and of addiction does not also reduce drug use. I think some people maybe think we will reduce drugs or drug use in this country because of decriminalisation, but really what we will do is not compound the harm and give people a way out. From the witnesses' and the assembly members' perspective, and it is up to the Oireachtas to legislation on this, what is decriminalisation?